Car Crash for 'Vote Leave' Campaign and Use of Nissan Logo

As the EU Referendum reaches its climax and the Leave and Remain campaigns fight tooth and nail for the important floating votes, Japanese carmaker Nissan has announced that it will take legal action against the Leave campaign after its name and logo were used on leaflets urging voters to back Brexit in the Referendum.

The announcement was made following Nissan's discovery that their logo had appeared on a flyer with the message: "Major employers…have all said they'll stay in the UK whatever the result of the Referendum."  Nissan has never said this nor has it endorsed either campaign.

On the subject the Chairman of Nissan said in a statement earlier in the year that while the UK's position in Europe is ultimately a "…matter for the British people to decide", his company believes it "made the most sense" to remain in the EU.

Nissan said it had been "extremely disappointed" to discover that the Nissan logo had been used without its permission.

Nissan has registered a large number of trade marks, covering a wide range of Nice Classes. One example is European Union Trade Mark (EUTM) number: 004228789.

Toyota to Bring Legal Action?

Toyota, whose logo has also been associated with the Leave campaign, is also said to be considering taking legal action over its apparent link to the Leave campaign, with the company insisting "We offer no such endorsement."

Toyota employs around 3,400 people in England and said the use of its corporate logo "could mislead the reader into thinking that Toyota endorses the Vote Leave campaign."

The Leave side has yet to respond.